Marietta native tells how he financed, produced Bob Odenkirk thriller ‘Normal’
Marietta native Marc Provissiero spent a decade as a literary agent before shifting to producing movies a few years ago.
His track record so far? Pretty good.
The 2021 Bob Odenkirk thriller “Nobody,” on a $16 million budget, earned nearly $58 million worldwide despite the pandemic. His 2023 “No Hard Feelings” starring Jennifer Lawrence did well for an R-rated comedy in theaters, followed by a strong showing on Netflix. And last year’s “Nobody 2″ sequel, while falling short at the box office, performed well on streaming services.
But for the first time, Provissiero’s Ope Partners production company with Odenkirk created an independent film truly independently. Unlike the “Nobody” films, he had no backing from a major studio like Universal Pictures.
Called “Normal,” this film again stars his co-producer, Odenkirk, playing an interim sheriff who lands in the fictional small town of Normal, Minnesota, which is anything but normal.
“We own the movie,” said Provissiero, a 1985 Wheeler High School graduate who now lives in Los Angeles. “We have a closer tether to the actual profits.”
Provissiero came to SCAD Film Studios earlier this month to host a screening of “Normal” and guest lecture to would-be filmmakers about how to finance a movie. His mom and 9-year-old daughter came to watch.
The R-rated movie, written by “John Wick” creator Derek Kolstad, is darker and more twisted than the “Nobody” films. Odenkirk (“Better Call Saul”) portrays Ulysses, a forlorn man covering for a longtime sheriff who died in a mysterious ice fishing accident.
Normal on the surface seems like a typical small town as viewers meet the resident wiseacre barkeep (Lena Headley), the backslapping mayor (Henry Winkler) and a range of townsfolks (the knitting store lady, the hardware store owner) who eye the temp with cheery wariness.
But secrets spill out partway through the movie and lead to a river of bloodshed and murder in the dead of winter, exemplified by its chilly shooting location of Winnipeg, Canada.
Ulysses, as played by Odenkirk, “sees the humanity in people,” Provissiero said. “The people who may be bad guys are not necessarily the bad guys in his eyes.”
Provissiero said the movie received such a positive reception in September at the Toronto International Film Festival, it received eight bids for domestic distribution, more than any other film there. Magnolia Pictures, a major independent film distributor and production company, won the bid.
“We played on the main stage in front of 1,000 people,” he said. “People were laughing so loud, some of the best lines were drowned out.”
Since its release, critics have been largely positive, with “Normal” receiving a respectable Rotten Tomatoes score of 76%. The critical summary: “‘Normal’ thrives on Bob Odenkirk’s gruff yet playful presence and director Ben Wheatley’s over-the-top carnage, delivering simple, ridiculous, and consistently entertaining thrills despite its familiar premise.”
The film opened modestly this past weekend, finishing in seventh place with $2.65 million in domestic box office revenue on 2,060 screens.
But the good news for Provissiero: His production company with Odenkirk will make money on the movie regardless of the domestic box office gross.
To finance the film’s $17 million budget, he used a combination of private equity investors, $17.7 million in presales to foreign distributors and a whopping $6 million in Canadian tax credits, a combo of national Canadian tax credits and Winnipeg bonus credits.
The sales to foreign distributors was so robust, it covered their entire budget after the generous tax credits were put in play.
Better yet, the film came in under budget, so they spent $600,000 in spare cash to add new scenes and get the movie to 90 minutes.
“I’m proud of what we accomplished,” Provissiero said.
He said he recently reconnected with childhood friend Chris Robinson, lead singer of the Georgia band the Black Crowes. They were on the same soccer team and did sleepovers. They shared a love for comedy.
“I remember discovering ‘Saturday Night Live’ during that year with Chris, my brother and his brother,” Provissiero said. “We would stay up all night re-creating the sketches and characters we’ve seen on the show. Chris was undeniably funny as hell. Next level funny.”
About the Author
Rodney Ho writes about entertainment for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution including TV, radio, film, comedy and all things in between. A native New Yorker, he has covered education at The Virginian-Pilot, small business for The Wall Street Journal and a host of beats at the AJC over 20-plus years. He loves tennis, pop culture & seeing live events.
